, 1887-12-29
OUR ELECTRIC SYSTEM.

| Ab III VII OtuoI neiub SPOKANE fHila mas
made remarkable progress In her cleo
trlcal appointments In the past year. To-
day she has the most extensive telephone
system In theterritory. Her electric light
plant, now that the parent Edison Electric
Light Co., OF New York, has taken hold
Of tho concern, promises 10 be the most
perfect system In the west.
Spokane Falls has something tQ be
proud Of In her telephone system. Tho
exchange was put In In December 1885,
with small patronage Of some 45 sub.
scrlbers To-day 1t has 1875 subscribers.
| and the number Ii very rapidly
increasing. Under tho management Of It's
enterprising secretary, w. =. Norman,
the whole plant In the city has been re-
modelled. Tho wires have been strung
on the 81 and 60 foot poles OF the united
service system, giving tho city quite a
metropolitan air, and before this number
Ia In the hands OF the readers the exchange
will have been moved to It's handsome
new quarters In the upper story Of the
First National bauk building, on the cor
ner Of Riverside avenue and Howard
street, The exchange is very complete
In its appointments. The switch boards
used (three In number) are of the most
improved pattern.
comes In its trunk line connections. In
the brief space Of one year, Spokane Falls
has been made the centre OF 400 nalles Of
territory trayersed by telephone wires.
This connection has had very import
ant bearing on tho commerce OF the town.
In an intorvlew with w. y. Norman,
the proprietor Of the Wardper line, man
ager of the Hopkins & Norman Big Bend
line and the representative at this point
OF @. b. Hopkins Pslouse Country sys-
tenn, some valuable Information was
phone system has on the trade Of the
Town. He stated that the average receipts
OF the office In Spokane Falls, represent
ing business orders to local houses from
the tributary country upon reasonable
tariff, amounted to over 800 month.
and this amount was rapidly In ,reasing.
With the network Of telephone lines GEN.
teripg here, Spokane Falls is now secur-
ing considerable trade that but for this
ready means Of communication would be
diverted to other channels. Three trunk
lines now radiate from Spokane Falls:
the Wardner line, via Occur d'Alane Mis-
sion and Kingston to Wardner, distance
of go miles; the Big Bend line, via Daven-
port to Spokane Falls, 62 miles, Hopkins
& Norman, proprietorsi and the @. b.
Hopkins system; S P,0ss via sPansiS, !" o,.k
thence to all points In the Palouse eoun-
try and as far southwest as Walla Walla.
With the opening OF spring further de-
velopments Of this important enterprise
are contemplated, the chief features OF
which will be in the direction OF exten-
sions In the Big Bend division. The Gu
tire circuit will shortly be fitted with the
new long distance telephone. which will
enable points as far distant as Wardner
and Colfax 10 readily sustain converse
tons.
ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT.
The Edison system OF incandescent
lighting was put In the city by local
company a year ago last December with u
small 900 light plant. The spring freshets
disabled the water power used by the
company for their dynamo, and for a
tims the light labored under cloud.
pany, now moreibund, the local company
was affiliated with the Edison Electric
Light Co., OF New York, and the capital
stock, originally go, ,00O was Increased to
York. taking control OF the concern aud
making Spokane Falls what is known IN
electrical parlance az a "centra, station"
Mr., II. NJ. Hoyt, one Of our rising young
was elected president Of the com!
pany, and j. Il. FiskCn. an experienced
and thorough electrician, uperintendent.
1t In curious coincidence, here to be re-
that the entire management and
control ofxthe electric light plants and
telephone system in Spokane Falls Is In
the hands OF men under the age OF ~
years.
The new plant which IL being put In,
and which will be in operation ere this
sketch IL in the readers hands, consists
OF six dynamo machines: four Edison's,
one American and one Brush, having
capacity OF 1900 incandescents and b3 arc
lights. These dynamos will be driven by
endless belts from q line OF shafting the
full breadth Of the building. The pulleys
used are "Hill's PATENT friction clutch
pulley, which enables any OF the dyna-
mos TO be started ana stopped without
bine wheels Of. about 300 horse power
each, Only one of these will be used and
the other will be kept as a spare wheel, so
that should any accident happen 70 the
working wheel the spare one can be in
stantly thrown into action without affect
ing the lights. There are four separate
feeders from the station which feed into
mains around the city, the mains running
on all the principal streets between the
railroad and the river, and between Ber-
the west. 1t was the intention OF the
company to run feeders and mains to
Brownies addition and south on Howard
Vt Ieot to Seventh. Delays in shipment
from the east have prevented this being
done this winter, and the company WI
work can be done. The system, when
first put in, was the old-fashioned 1.-TWO
wire System" but it has now been chang
I'D to the "three wire system,' one OF the
most valuable patents owned by. the Edi-
son company; The building & In wn,tn men
stantial one. Tho foundations for the
wheel pits and penstocks are built OF
stone and cement. There Is separate
penstook for each wheel. The ground
iioor Of the building, which adjoins the Z.